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| Total Unique Visitors: 2819 |
| Visitors Out: 111 |
| Total Visitors Out: 111 |
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| Visual Style Alternatives |
| 2008-06-09 12:44:57 |
Before visual styles were a part of Windows, only one way existed to change the way Windows looked. That was accomplished by using a program called WindowBlinds, which is made by Stardock (www.windowblinds.net). WindowsBlinds is a classic Windows program. Back when it first came out, it transformed the boring gray interface of Windows into an attractive and colorful experience. Now that Windows XP includes its own skinning engine, products like WindowBlinds, which have their own skinning engine, become less necessary. So why am I even mentioning this application? Because there are some things that it brings to the table that visual styles do not. Because WindowBlinds is a completely independent skinning engine from the Microsoft...
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| Tweaking the visual styles |
| 2008-06-09 12:37:47 |
Now that you have finished changing the visual styles using one of the two methods that Idescribed, you can customize the look of your computer a little more by tweaking the visualstyle. One thing that I always like to customize after I change the visual style is the title barheight. You can easily do so by changing the window metrics: 1. Right-click the desktop and select Properties. 2. Then, click the Advanced button on the Appearance tab. 3. Click either the active or inactive title bar of the preview image and then adjust the Size setting next to the Item drop-down box. 4. While you are changing the size, you might want to also customize the fonts. You can do so by clicking the text for which you want to change the font, and then sele...
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| Installing new visual styles |
| 2008-06-09 12:32:56 |
Currently, you can use new visual styles on XP in two different ways. Both options workaround the requirement that visual style files must be signed. First, I am going to explainhow to use, as well as the benefits of using, TGT Soft’s Style XP to use new visual styles.Then, I am going to show you how to use patcher XP as well as the benefits of using it. Butfirst, I am going to show you where to download visual styles that can be used on yourcomputer.Downloading visual stylesMany cool sites on the Web offer thousands of visual styles to download. Unlike boot and logon screens, you do not need to worry about the version of a visual style because they are not system-critical files and their format does not change when service packs are released. This capab...
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| modify visual style |
| 2008-06-09 12:22:30 |
Windows XP includes a new skinning engine built into the operating system, which it uses to display its own skin format, known as visual styles. Visual styles are responsible for transform- ing the boring old Windows classic look into the colorful and visually pleasing Windows XP look. Unfortunately, Microsoft has decided to keep the format of visual styles secret and built the skinning engine to only accept Visual styles that are digitally signed by Microsoft. This decision puts a big roadblock in the path of creating your own visual styles. On top of that, Microsoft decided that they were not going to release any more visual styles, so we are all stuck with the default Windows XP look. This presented a problem to the Windows XP tw...
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| Working with Themes |
| 2008-06-03 05:37:13 |
Working with ThemesThemes have been a part of Windows for a very long time. Ever since Windows 95 was released, themes made it possible to save the configuration of the fonts, colors, visual style, wallpaper, mouse cursors, and even the sounds that are used. Throughout the years, not a lot has changed in the theme world. Originally, you had to have Microsoft Plus to use themes, but now, the ability to use themes is included in all of the latest Microsoft operating systems. Additionally, when themes were first developed, they did not keep track of visual styles, just because they didn’t exist. Now, the theme format has expanded to allow for the new Windows feature. Why are themes still important to talk about even though they have been around so long? B...
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| Removing the text below the icons |
| 2008-06-03 05:28:16 |
Removing the text below the iconsIcons and text always go together. Every single icon on your desktop has to have a label below it. If you have a lot of icons on your desktop, the text under the icon is very valuable. However, if you have few icons on your desktop, you can get away with just using the icons alone. Doing so will result in a much cleaner interface. Amazingly, your desktop will look much simpler and cleaner without the labels below the icons. How is it possible not to display the text? Well, it is actually just a trick. You are not really removing the text under the icons. Instead, you are replacing the name of the icon with some characters that the computer will not display. Renaming the icons would be very eas...
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| Customizing Desktop Icons |
| 2008-06-03 05:21:25 |
Customizing Desktop IconsThe first time I started up Windows XP, I was shocked to find only theRecycle Bin icon on the desktop. Where were the rest of the icons? Did the install screw up? Microsoft is starting to transition away from the desktop that we are all used to with previous versions of Windows. With the introduction of the Start panel, the same icons on the desktop are just not needed. Now, the desktop looks much cleaner and more visually appealing because there are not 50 icons on the screen blocking your view of the wallpaper.I have to admit, I like the clean interface, but I miss some of the icons that used to be on the desktop. Thankfully, you can do a number of different things to customize the desktop to bri...
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| Customizing the Taskbar |
| 2008-06-03 01:44:04 |
Customizing the Taskbar The Windows XP taskbar has many new features, such as the ability to group programs and the new system tray that automatically hides icons that are not active. On top of these new features, there were enhancements such as new animations and graphical refinements that make the taskbar look so much better. The taskbar normally is used to switch between active programs and provides some system information, such as the current time and other system events in the system try. Now it can beused for so much more, as you will see in the next few sections.Using and adjusting program groupingThe program grouping feature can be very useful, or it can be an annoyance. When you have more than just a few programs open, the taskbar can become cluttered. To fight this,...
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| Hiding programs from appearing in the Start panel |
| 2008-06-03 01:34:04 |
Hiding programs from appearing in the Start panelSo you have a top-secret program that you do not want anyone else to know you have. Everytime you run a program on your computer, Windows XP keeps track of it and will place it onyour frequently run programs list as a convenience to you. Sometimes, this feature is not alwaysa convenience and is, instead, like a chronic medical problem that will not go away.For example, let’s use the situation of a guy named Larry. Larry plays Solitaire all the time onhis computer when he is at work. It is not the best game, but it will help him pass time and it’sa great alternative to actually doing work. Every time Larry plays Solitaire, Windows XP auto-matically puts the game into the frequently run programs list. Th...
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| Adding and removing navigation icons |
| 2008-06-03 01:27:53 |
Adding and removing navigation iconsMany icons on the new Start panel will help you navigate through Windows in a way youhave never done before. All of the icons that are displayed can be customized to fit yourneeds so that you can have one-click access to several different parts of your computer. Iconssuch as My Computer, My Music, Network Connections, and many more are now placedright on the Start panel. Windows XP gives you the capability to add even more.Additionally, these icons can be transformed into pop-up menus that expand and show thedetails. For example, instead of just displaying the My Computer icon, when you move yourmouse over the icon, it can pop up a menu that will display shortcuts to each of the separ...
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| customize startup |
| 2008-06-03 01:25:15 |
The Start panel is what I call the new replacement for the traditional Start Menu that we are all familiar with from using previous versions of Windows. I call this the Start panel because it is not just a menu anymore. It is now a collection of various links and features all thrown onto one panel that pops up. It offers many new features, such as a dynamic list that places your most frequently run programs on the panel so that you can easily access them without having to navigate throughout the entire program listings. Additionally, the Start panel has replaced all of the icons on the desktop except for the Recycle Bin so that your desktop will look much cleaner and uncluttered. Different tools and hacks are available that will allow you to customize ...
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| The problems of changing the boot screen |
| 2008-06-03 01:16:58 |
The problems of changing the boot screenIf you download a hacked system file with a new boot screen and replace the old file on yourcomputer, after you restart, you may find that your computer will not start and will give you anice error message. “C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe is missing or corrupt.” Missing orcorrupt? Uh-oh. This is the most common problem that users experience when trying tochange their boot screen using the file swap technique.User that get this message, or any similar error message, are receiving it because they replaced their system file with a file that is not compatible with their version of Windows XP. Windows XP was released in many different languages for different parts of the world. Each language version of XP has a slig...
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| Customizing the Look of the Startup |
| 2008-06-03 01:06:35 |
Windows XP has a great new look, but after a while, the new look can get old. With the help of some cool tools and tricks, you can change many parts of Windows XP.This chapter will guide you through customizing two parts of your computer, the boot screen and the Welcome/logon screen. You will learn how to replace the boring boot screen with premade screens and even how to make some of your own.Then, this chapter will move on to customizing the second part of your computer startup, the Welcome/logon screen. This screen can be customized in several ways, such as selecting to use the new Welcome screen or the old Windows 2000 style logon screen. Also, there are a handful of different hacks that will help you customize each screen and make it look even better. Would you like to replace the Wel...
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